Predictika · heat trace cables, controllers, supply agreements, circuit length, options and contract years

An AI sales agent's heat tracing quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a heat tracing quote for a fictional plant: a heat trace cable, a controller, a supply agreement, a number of circuits, a circuit length, two options and a contract term. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the cable, controller and supply agreement rules and returns a verdict, every reason, and the price it computed.

Scope: Heat tracing circuit quotes in the style of nVent: four heat trace cable types, three controllers and three supply agreements, checked against circuit length, options, contract term, quantity and discount rules. Prices and limits are illustrative estimates, not a vendor quote. See everything this validator covers

This validator models heat tracing circuits in the style of nVent, with four heat trace cable types, three controllers and three supply agreements, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Cables and controllers — self-regulating cable in two wattage ratings, constant-wattage cable and mineral-insulated cable for hazardous areas, with a basic thermostat, a programmable single-circuit controller or a multi-circuit hazardous-area controller, including the controller that is not approved for the hazardous area cable.
  • Circuit length — a circuit length in meters checked against the cable limit and the controller limit, with a heat trace design review above 200 meters.
  • Options and supply agreements — the ground-fault protection panel and remote monitoring subscription by cable type, and project quote, distributor stocking and OEM master agreements with their circuit minimums and discounts.
  • Contract and order size — terms from 1 to 5 years, a finance review above 3 years, a project desk review above 80 circuits, an approval band above 10 percent total discount, a limit at 15 percent and a deal desk review above USD 400,000.

Any quote for these cables, controllers and supply agreements is in scope, not only the scenarios pictured here. Not checked: other nVent products such as enclosures or cable management, real list prices, hazardous area certification, pipe heat loss design, or tax and multi-currency quoting.

The AI sales agentBuilds the heat tracing quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

4 scenarios in 2 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where a rules-based CPQ gets this wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ or Conga) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtA rules-based CPQPredictika
Supply agreement minimumsOnly with care
A minimum quantity per agreement that has to be kept next to the discount it unlocks.		The circuit count is compared with the minimum of the chosen agreement on every call.
Circuit length against cable and controllerOnly with workarounds
Two different components set two different length limits, so each is a separate rule.		The length is compared with the limit of the cable and of the controller together.
Options that depend on the cable typeOnly with care
Option filters per cable that must agree with the other choices.		Each option is compared with what the chosen cable supports.
Quoted total against the computed priceOnly with workarounds
The price is computed after the rules run, so a stated total is rarely checked against it.		The total the agent states is compared with the total the validator computes.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The circuit length must be within the range of the heat trace cable and within the limit of the controller.
2A circuit length above 200 meters needs a heat trace design review.
3The ground-fault protection panel and the remote monitoring subscription must be available on the chosen cable.
4The basic thermostat controller is not approved for the hazardous area cable.
5The number of circuits must meet the minimum of the supply agreement.
6A quote holds one to 200 circuits, and more than 80 circuits need a project desk review.
7A contract runs one to 5 years, and more than 3 years needs finance to approve the price lock.
8A total discount above 10 percent needs the sales director, and above 15 percent is blocked.
9An order above USD 400,000 needs a deal desk review.
10The net total the agent states must equal the total the validator computes.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Supply agreement minimum: Nine circuits under the distributor stocking agreement

    
The agent's request. Please check a quote for nine circuits of Self-regulating cable 5 watt with the programmable single-circuit controller under the Distributor stocking agreement, each 90 meters long, on a 2 year contract with no options, for our fictional plant customer Harbor Chemical Works. The quoted total is USD 28,373.76. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Supply agreement minimum. Nine heat trace circuits are below the 10 heat trace circuits minimum of the Distributor stocking agreement.
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  • Estimated price. The estimated list price is USD 28,373.76 for 9 circuits, with 4 percent total discount. Prices are illustrative estimates.
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2. Supply agreement minimum: The agent resubmits after fixing the error

    
The agent's request. Please check the quote again. For Harbor Chemical Works I raised the order to 10 circuits: Self-regulating cable 5 watt with the programmable single-circuit controller under the Distributor stocking agreement, each 90 meters long, on a 2 year contract with no options. The quoted total is USD 31,526.40. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Estimated price. The estimated list price is USD 31,526.40 for 10 circuits, with 4 percent total discount. Prices are illustrative estimates.
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3. Quoted total that does not match: A quoted total below the price the validator computes

    
The agent's request. Please check a quote for 10 circuits of Self-regulating cable 5 watt with the programmable single-circuit controller under a project quote, each 90 meters long, on a 2 year contract with no options, for Harbor Chemical Works. The quoted total is USD 29,556. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Quoted total. The quoted net total of USD 29,556 does not match the USD 32,840 the validator computed.
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  • Estimated price. The estimated list price is USD 32,840 for 10 circuits, with 0 percent total discount. Prices are illustrative estimates.
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4. Quoted total that does not match: The agent resubmits after fixing the error

    
The agent's request. Please check the quote again. For Harbor Chemical Works I corrected the total: 10 circuits of Self-regulating cable 5 watt with the programmable single-circuit controller under a project quote, each 90 meters long, on a 2 year contract with no options. The quoted total is USD 32,840. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Estimated price. The estimated list price is USD 32,840 for 10 circuits, with 0 percent total discount. Prices are illustrative estimates.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a heat tracing quote for a fictional plant: a heat trace cable, a controller, a supply agreement, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the cable, controller and supply agreement rules and returns a verdict, every reason, and the price it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please check a quote for nine circuits of Self-regulating cable 5 watt. The quoted total is USD 28,373.76. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with one finding, all in one answer. Nine heat trace circuits are below the 10 heat trace circuits minimum of the distributor stocking agreement.
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  6. The validator returned one blocking finding in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for supply agreement minimums, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the circuits to 10.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. The earlier finding is cleared.
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  13. One problem caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.